Weed control has been my weak point the past two years. Most of it is because spring is very busy for us and the weeds always seem to get ahead of me. I am still working out my system but find a combination of weed barriers, hand pulling, selective planting and hoeing have been my best weapons against these pesky things.
The first line of defense is selective planting. The more you have planted together and the less bare space you have the less weeds you will have. This goes back to "three sisters" tactic that the Native Americans used in their gardens. They planted beans, corn and pumpkins together. The corn supported the beans and the pumpkins helped shade out the weeds. One way to do this in your flower beds is to look at groupings. Take an area and plant several kinds of flowers together. The key to making it look good is to always have something in bloom all season.
The other three things go hand in hand. I put down cardboard boxes that I save throughout the year and then lay mulch on top of them. I also have used layers of newspapers in the past but have not found them to be as good of a barrier. I try to do this in the spring after all the perennials have peaked their heads through the ground but before the weeds have grown large. If I know that I am going to plant an annual later in the season in a spot, I will reserve the spot with a stick. Hand weeding and hoeing are the day to day tasks of keeping things weed free. If you can keep your weeds from going to seed you should see less of them each year.
Weed control can be a frustrating job at times but with a good plan of action you can conquer this task without using chemicals.
The first line of defense is selective planting. The more you have planted together and the less bare space you have the less weeds you will have. This goes back to "three sisters" tactic that the Native Americans used in their gardens. They planted beans, corn and pumpkins together. The corn supported the beans and the pumpkins helped shade out the weeds. One way to do this in your flower beds is to look at groupings. Take an area and plant several kinds of flowers together. The key to making it look good is to always have something in bloom all season.
The other three things go hand in hand. I put down cardboard boxes that I save throughout the year and then lay mulch on top of them. I also have used layers of newspapers in the past but have not found them to be as good of a barrier. I try to do this in the spring after all the perennials have peaked their heads through the ground but before the weeds have grown large. If I know that I am going to plant an annual later in the season in a spot, I will reserve the spot with a stick. Hand weeding and hoeing are the day to day tasks of keeping things weed free. If you can keep your weeds from going to seed you should see less of them each year.
Weed control can be a frustrating job at times but with a good plan of action you can conquer this task without using chemicals.
.bmp)
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